Truck won't start; is it a battery problem or something else?

[chizburger]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to driving a Ram 1500. I recently bought a CPO 2021 Ram 1500 Big Horn crew cab 4x4, 5.7L hemi eTorque last month. At 3 weeks of ownership it suddenly won't start one morning, battery was dead, no lights exterior or interior, no crank sound, I had to use manual key to get in and I did try starting it with key fob pressing the start/stop button but nothing happened so I called FCA roadside assistance and they did jump started it. I was able to drive the truck and brought it to the nearest RAM dealership. Dealership told me that they did perform battery/charging system test and the battery is in good condition that it was not the issue. They said that the cause of the problem was block, fuse/relay; inspected vehicle for codes and found low voltage codes, also used multimeter to test fuses and around that battery, found a fuse array to have high resistance, removed and found it was burnt up and causing not good contact so they replaced the fuse. After getting the truck from the dealership it was back to normal conditions up until this past Sunday, I was going to run some errands but the truck won't start and everything was dead again. Called roadside assistance, jump started it and truck went on but check engine lights were present, service electronic stability control, service trailer brake system and key fob has left the vehicle even I had it with me. I let the truck run couple of minutes and drove it as well then check engine lights disappeared. I did my research; read and saw some videos that it was normal that check engine lights will appear after jump staring a truck but will eventually disappeared after the system has reset. However, the next day (Monday) I still decided to take my truck to the Ram dealership where I bought the car and have them look why it keeps happening, what is wrong with the truck if it's a battery, alternator or something else. They message me today and said it was ready to be pick up. It passed the draw test and they cannot find the main cause why the truck's battery was dead.

I need help, I am not so confident with the resolutions they had given me. I am afraid that it will happen again and I will be needing to keep jump starting the battery every time it happens. I missed two days of work already and do not have any luxury to do more in an unforeseen circumstances. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[Kygene63]

Exact same happened to me 3 weeks ago. Took the battery to Napa. Battery said to charge and retest. Battery tested ok after charge. I also had the low voltage error code. I replaced the battery anyway since it was just over 36 months old and I haven’t had a problem since.

 

[Cbty2050]

Put a new battery in it.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to driving a Ram 1500. I recently bought a CPO 2021 Ram 1500 Big Horn crew cab 4x4, 5.7L hemi eTorque last month. At 3 weeks of ownership it suddenly won't start one morning, battery was dead, no lights exterior or interior, no crank sound, I had to use manual key to get in and I did try starting it with key fob pressing the start/stop button but nothing happened so I called FCA roadside assistance and they did jump started it. I was able to drive the truck and brought it to the nearest RAM dealership. Dealership told me that they did perform battery/charging system test and the battery is in good condition that it was not the issue. They said that the cause of the problem was block, fuse/relay; inspected vehicle for codes and found low voltage codes, also used multimeter to test fuses and around that battery, found a fuse array to have high resistance, removed and found it was burnt up and causing not good contact so they replaced the fuse. After getting the truck from the dealership it was back to normal conditions up until this past Sunday, I was going to run some errands but the truck won't start and everything was dead again. Called roadside assistance, jump started it and truck went on but check engine lights were present, service electronic stability control, service trailer brake system and key fob has left the vehicle even I had it with me. I let the truck run couple of minutes and drove it as well then check engine lights disappeared. I did my research; read and saw some videos that it was normal that check engine lights will appear after jump staring a truck but will eventually disappeared after the system has reset. However, the next day (Monday) I still decided to take my truck to the Ram dealership where I bought the car and have them look why it keeps happening, what is wrong with the truck if it's a battery, alternator or something else. They message me today and said it was ready to be pick up. It passed the draw test and they cannot find the main cause why the truck's battery was dead.

I need help, I am not so confident with the resolutions they had given me. I am afraid that it will happen again and I will be needing to keep jump starting the battery every time it happens. I missed two days of work already and do not have any luxury to do more in an unforeseen circumstances. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Just a heads up, OEM batteries only seem to last 3 years, so I would start with that and go from there. Also upgrade with a H8 AGM. I use Walmart Everstart AGM w/ 4 year replacement. Walmart is almost everywhere when traveling.

 

[Cbty2050]

Just a heads up, OEM batteries only seem to last 3 years

I am willing to bet most batteries last 5-6 years vs the 3 years. Yes many fail in that 3 year window. I see many 2019/2020 trucks/vehicles still rocking the oem battery today. I have the pleasure of testing every battery that pulls in my stall. I don't use a carbon pile load tester. I use my picoscope battery test and attach results to every repair order. It's not a perfect test but it definitely gives the customer a report of how the starting/charging system is working.

 

[kapinallinen2]

I might have to revisit optima yellow top when my current interstate goes tango uniform.

 

[chizburger]

Thank you all for your replies and very helpful insights about my situation. I will definitely replace the battery even dealership said it is still in good condition. Also, thank you for suggesting battery brand/s because I don’t know which one to get.

 

[chizburger]

I have no experience changing batteries and no tools too. Can I go to a local auto shop or do I have to go to a dealership for this? I don’t want my Mopar Max care warranty to be voided if I do it on my own.

 

[c_rc]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to driving a Ram 1500. I recently bought a CPO 2021 Ram 1500 Big Horn crew cab 4x4, 5.7L hemi eTorque last month. At 3 weeks of ownership it suddenly won't start one morning, battery was dead, no lights exterior or interior, no crank sound, I had to use manual key to get in and I did try starting it with key fob pressing the start/stop button but nothing happened so I called FCA roadside assistance and they did jump started it. I was able to drive the truck and brought it to the nearest RAM dealership. Dealership told me that they did perform battery/charging system test and the battery is in good condition that it was not the issue. They said that the cause of the problem was block, fuse/relay; inspected vehicle for codes and found low voltage codes, also used multimeter to test fuses and around that battery, found a fuse array to have high resistance, removed and found it was burnt up and causing not good contact so they replaced the fuse. After getting the truck from the dealership it was back to normal conditions up until this past Sunday, I was going to run some errands but the truck won't start and everything was dead again. Called roadside assistance, jump started it and truck went on but check engine lights were present, service electronic stability control, service trailer brake system and key fob has left the vehicle even I had it with me. I let the truck run couple of minutes and drove it as well then check engine lights disappeared. I did my research; read and saw some videos that it was normal that check engine lights will appear after jump staring a truck but will eventually disappeared after the system has reset. However, the next day (Monday) I still decided to take my truck to the Ram dealership where I bought the car and have them look why it keeps happening, what is wrong with the truck if it's a battery, alternator or something else. They message me today and said it was ready to be pick up. It passed the draw test and they cannot find the main cause why the truck's battery was dead.

I need help, I am not so confident with the resolutions they had given me. I am afraid that it will happen again and I will be needing to keep jump starting the battery every time it happens. I missed two days of work already and do not have any luxury to do more in an unforeseen circumstances. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

May 28, 2024 My 2019 Ram Rebel w/5.7 hemi is do the same thing. My mechanic tells me replacing the starter will fix this. Yet after read hundreds of posts on Ram Forums...I'm not convinced. So today I checked the battery which is New, with a volt meter and it read 12.2 volts. So I removed both terminals and charged the battery for 2 hours (the battery now read 13.2 volts). I remove the heat shield from the starter, disconnected the power wire clip, sanded both sides of the clip, cleaned out as best I could the power clip, applied dielectric grease to the spade, used pliers to crimp the clip and reinstalled. Then I tried what one post had recommended, I made up a wire 3 feet in length with an Alligator clip on each end. I attached one end to the flat spade where the power wire attaches and the other end touched the positive terminal of the battery. It took 30 seconds, but the starter, started to move, I had my assistant push to start button and it fired up. I let it run for 5-10 minutes and shut it off, then restarted and it did. Tried off and on for 3 attempts and each time worked. I reinstalled the heat shield and hope for the best.
Note: Every-time the truck will not start on it's own, it will always start by using jumper cables attached to another vehicle. So I plan to buy one of those small Lithium Booster battery jumpers to carry with me just in case. I'll keep you updated

 

[c_rc]

So I wanted to post what worked for me. I got this idea from another forum and it worked. So I wanted to pass on; Check the little wire with the clip on the end that attaches to to solenoid, it's probably corroded. That wire reads the volts and tells the PCM if it has the volts to start. Run a wire with an alligator clip on each end. Attach one end on the flat spade the clip attaches to and the other end hold on the positive side of battery. If the starter, starts have your helper press and hold the start button until the engine starts. Mine did! So I removed the clip, used sand paper to sand the flat spade, used CRC solvent and a small flat screwdriver to clean the clip. Used needle nose pliers the squeeze the clip, applied di-electric grease to the spade, reattached and my problem is solved! Note: I do have to hold the start button down until I hear the engine start where i could of sworn before I just pushed the button, but it works.

 

[c_rc]

So I wanted to post what worked for me. I got this idea from another forum and it worked. So I wanted to pass on; Check the little wire with the clip on the end that attaches to to solenoid, it's probably corroded. That wire reads the volts and tells the PCM if it has the volts to start. Run a wire with an alligator clip on each end. Attach one end on the flat spade the clip attaches to and the other end hold on the positive side of battery. If the starter, starts have your helper press and hold the start button until the engine starts. Mine did! So I removed the clip, used sand paper to sand the flat spade, used CRC solvent and a small flat screwdriver to clean the clip. Used needle nose pliers the squeeze the clip, applied di-electric grease to the spade, reattached and my problem is solved! Note: I do have to hold the start button down until I hear the engine start where i could of sworn before I just pushed the button, but it works.

Problem is back, my fix was temporary

 

[bigdodge]

I have no experience changing batteries and no tools too. Can I go to a local auto shop or do I have to go to a dealership for this? I don’t want my Mopar Max care warranty to be voided if I do it on my own.

usually the place you buy a battery from can install it for you.

 

[WA7S0N]

Problem is back, my fix was temporary

Did you ever figure out what the issue was?

 

[chizburger]

Did you ever figure out what the issue was?

Sorry for the late response, I just saw this post today. I ended up bringing it to my local mechanic and he recommended to changed the OEM battery to AGM battery and did not have any issue after that until this past weekend. I will post an update here.

 

[chizburger]

So for everyone who helped me last time thank you again! I am back here to update what happened to my truck:

I went to my local shop and the mechanic installed a diehard H7-AGM battery 880CCA last May this year. So from May to December everything was working fine no issues at all until this past weekend. My truck won't start and had to be jumped, it went on however there was a strange sound after. I went to Advance Auto parts to get it diagnose because it happened on a Sunday so everything was closed. Result was "Alternator Test Low output- the alternator is not providing enough current to power the system's electrical loads and charge the battery"
No load voltage: 12.91 V; Loaded voltage: 12.89 V; Ripple Voltage: 17 mV.

I went to the dealership the next day (Monday) thinking it was an Alternator problem since I just had a new battery installed this year. They did diagnose it and said that there is no problem with my Smart generator (etorque). The mechanic said that I have an incorrect battery installed, it should be replaced only by the OEM factory specified algae glass battery because of the start and stop feature. I couldn't believed it because my mechanic recommended the diehard H7-AGM battery and I've done my research here in the forums and had read a lot of members replacing their OEM battery with either H7-AGM or H8-AGM battery. The dealership also wants to change my wiring connector and intelligent battery sensor (IBS) because he said it was a "Ford wiring repair" and it is causing an interruption, resulting in the battery sensor not reading the voltage accurately. Just to add, the Ford wiring repair was done by my local mechanic somewhere in September when I went for a couple days of vacation and left my truck in the driveway. My wirings got chewed and it was fixed by my local mechanic with "Ford wiring" which I only found out yesterday that it was a ford wiring. But does it really matter if it is a Ram or Ford wiring?. I don't know what to do because the dealership is quoting me almost 2k to replace the battery sensor, connector and new battery.

Would appreciate any insights. Thanks in advance!

 

[Willwork4truck]

This all sounds so weird. RAM specific batteries are not all that can be used. They are all made by just a few companies, maybe 3 and then rebranded.
"Ford wiring", what's that? A wiring harness or bundle that has a Ford tag on it? Not much of this makes sense.

Go back to your CPO RAM dealer and start from square 1. Ask some questions about the battery they state it has to be, compare that with what forum members have been using (print off some threads/posts). An AGM is an AGM, regardless of who provides it.

What's the deal with the "chewed wiring"? Your CPO warranty likely won't cover pest damage. Unless your mechanic installed something really janky, that shouldn't invalidate the battery charging part of the truck.

2K sounds like a stupidly high price. Take it somewhere else, if you don't have any coverage for it then get references for a good independent shop. Sounds like you'll need to start going elsewhere.

 

[chizburger]

This all sounds so weird. RAM specific batteries are not all that can be used. They are all made by just a few companies, maybe 3 and then rebranded.
"Ford wiring", what's that? A wiring harness or bundle that has a Ford tag on it? Not much of this makes sense.

Go back to your CPO RAM dealer and start from square 1. Ask some questions about the battery they state it has to be, compare that with what forum members have been using (print off some threads/posts). An AGM is an AGM, regardless of who provides it.

What's the deal with the "chewed wiring"? Your CPO warranty likely won't cover pest damage. Unless your mechanic installed something really janky, that shouldn't invalidate the battery charging part of the truck.

2K sounds like a stupidly high price. Take it somewhere else, if you don't have any coverage for it then get references for a good independent shop. Sounds like you'll need to start going elsewhere.

Hi, when I came back from vacation last September, I turned on my truck and saw the Start&Stop Unavailable in my dashboard so I went to my independent mechanic and he showed to me that the IBS wiring was chewed by a small animal because it was disconnected. So he then repaired it please see attached picture, and that repair was the one that the RAM CPO dealership stated yesterday that it was a "Ford wiring repair not an OEM Ram" which caused an interruption to the battery. I honestly don't know how he knew it was a Ford wiring 'cause there are no Ford tags on it.

It does not make any sense because after my independent mechanic repaired it, I did not have any problems for the last 3 months until this past Sunday. I also attached the battery that my CPO dealership said I should only use and the current battery installed. CPO dealership said my maximum care warranty does not cover any of this and have to pay this 2k.

I just spoke to my independent mechanic and he said I still have warranty for the battery he installed this year, I told him about the wiring and he also said it does not make any sense that the wiring is the one causing the low voltage to the new battery. I'll bring it to him after I get my truck from RAM dealership.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Your mechanic sounds ok.
Still would search for some other fix that wasn't 2K

 

[chizburger]

Hi, no issues since January till yesterday. Truck wont start. Had to jump start it. Codes wont clear. Engine light, stability control, ABS. Tried to clear by unplugging the battery. Hoping it would reset everything but didnt. Went to auto zone for diagnostics result came out. ABS fail, Emission Ready "No", Power train system says secondary DTCs PO562 system voltage low. P0562-00 system voltage low. Did anyone ever had this experience yet? Its really hard to get a service right away cause of the holiday weekend.